Tag: advertising
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How Far Can Government Go in Forcing Manufacturers to Tell Consumers “Don’t Buy This Product”?
A divided D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that the graphic antismoking images which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) selected for placement on cigarette packages for the purpose of reducing smoking rates in the United States fail the intermediate scrutiny standard for compelled commercial speech. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. FDA, No. 11-5332…
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Advocacy Coalition Seeks FTC Review of Digital Youth Marketing
A coalition of advocacy organizations has filed five complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against companies including McDonald’s Corp., General Mills, Inc. and Doctor’s Associates, Inc., calling for an investigation into Websites they purportedly use to promote food and TV programs to children. According to the coalition, the food-related websites— HappyMeal.com, ReesesPuffs.com, TrixWorld.com, and…
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Chilean Senator Seeks to Enforce Fast-Food Toy Ban
Chilean Senator Guido Girardi has reportedly filed a formal complaint with the country’s Ministry of Health, alleging that fast-food companies have violated a new ban on using toys and other giveaways to market children’s meals. According to media sources, the complaint claims that several fast-food restaurants have flouted the law, along with other food manufacturers…
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Nutritionist Objects to DHA Health Claim on Milk
A nutritionist who published a study about the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has objected to Dean Foods Co.’s decision to cite her work in marketing the health benefits of its Horizon organic milk fortified with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Penn State University Professor Penny Kris-Etherton apparently took…
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CSPI Criticizes DreamWorks, Food Companies for Licensing Deals
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has sent a July 18, 2012, letter to the chief executive officer of DreamWorks Animation SKG, criticizing the studio’s decision to license its popular film characters to food companies. Focusing on the recent film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, the consumer group cited tie-ins “with multiple…
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California Judge Says Product Claims Were Preempted or Non-Actionable Puffery
According to a news source, a Los Angeles Superior Court has dismissed a putative class action seeking damages against One World Enterprises LLC for allegedly misleading consumers about the nutritional value and hydrating properties of its coconut water product. Shenkman v. One World Enters. LLC, No. BC467165 (Cal. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty., dismissed on July…
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Rudd Center Publishes Report on Cereal Marketing to Children
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has issued a report claiming that cereal companies “have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they have also increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products.” Titled Cereal F.A.C.T.S. Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score, the report…